


Golden Heart: Beginnings

by PrincessVenuschan



Series: Golden Heart [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts, RWBY
Genre: Gen, Heavily diverges from Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 13:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11533206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessVenuschan/pseuds/PrincessVenuschan
Summary: The Vytal Tournament is in full swing! However, when a stranger comes to warn Ozpin that greater threats than Cinder loom in the shadows, things take a drastic turn, and a member of Team RWBY may wind up losing themselves in the darkness...(NOTE: The whole Golden Heart series is being reworked into “Golden Heart: Final Mix”)





	1. End of Another Beginning

"You've been here for a while Blake... I think you might want to take it easy on the tuna." Sun remarked with a chuckle. Blake was already on her third bowl. "S-sorry, I guess after that last fight, I'm... Kinda hungry." Sun patted her on the shoulder, saying, “Well, you’d better hurry up, the next airship back is leaving in 10 minutes.” Blake replied to Sun by putting the bowl onto the counter as she finished her meal. “Okay, now I’m done.” She set the bowl on the counter as Sun raced off to the air bus back to the Vytal Colosseum.

 

 

 

  
Just as Blake was about to head onto an airship to the colosseum herself, a voice called out to her. "Blake Belladonna, I presume?"

 

The voice had a slight echo to it, and a tone that commanded respect. Blake stared at the stranger with an eerie gaze. "Y-yes... That's right. But how do you know my name? Who are you?"

 

 

 

“If you’re merely asking for a name, I am called Maleficent. I was honestly surprised with your performance in your fight. Not bad, for someone who's usually content to flee from their troubles. As for who I am, if you’re merely

 

Blake scowled. "Are you... Are you calling me a coward?" She asked accusingly, Maleficent turned away from Blake, smiling.

 

"It depends... Would you say it's in moments where you feel... Powerless?" Blake almost wanted to tell her to shut up right there, but that last word struck a chord with her. And Maleficent knew it. "You're far from powerless, my dear... Allow me to show you a glimpse of the true power within you!"

 

Blake felt something well up inside of her.  She raised her arm, seeing it cloaked in a dark green, wispy aura. In fact, it was around her whole body. "I... I feel... This feels good." She couldn't deny it, even as her newfound power seemed to seep into her very being. "I... I had... This power the whole time?" She asked herself. When she turned back towards Maleficent, she was gone.

 

The air bus’s ramp was going up. She ran towards the air bus faster than she thought possible for her, and jumped for it, landing inside. Sun spilled his drink in his lap, exclaiming, “B-Blake?!” Blake merely smirked. She felt stronger and faster than she ever had before. With her newfound power came new confidence. “Next time I see her, I should give her my thanks.” She said to herself as the air bus took off.

 

 

 

  
"So then Yua spent the rest of the day wearing that blue dress! Of course, almost everyone thought I rocked it better, but still. It was a comfy dress. Silky smooth as I recall. Comfortable enough to fall asleep in." Yang burst into laughter, sitting at one of the food stands, enjoying some noodles with her new friend. "Still, hard to believe though. I mean, you, a prince? That wasn't exactly the first impression I got from you, Mayu."

 

 

_It had been just a day ago. Partially as a bit of a workout, maybe take out some Grimm along the way, and partially to stop by where they picked up the relics during the initiation and reminisce. “Huh? Who’s that?” Yang asked, seeing a stranger with their back turned towards an Ursa. She didn’t know who they were, but they were about to get attacked. Jumping straight into action, she went in, and socked it straight in the jaw, firing off Ember Celica while doing so. Just as it was about to get up and go for a counterattack, it was the stranger's turn to act. Hearing Ember Celica go off, they rapidly turned around, leaped up, performing a dive kick aimed directly at the Ursa’s head. “Could have handled that one myself, honestly.” He (as his voice indicated) said confidently._

_She took a close look at the stranger. A black tank top, blue pants, a few pouches around the waist, nothing too fancy by Remnant's standards. It was his physical appearance that caught her off guard. His figure was not at all what one would expect from a guy, even a guy only about her age, maybe slightly older. Soft features, a slender frame, passionate hazel eyes, and dark brown hair down to his neck. She turned towards the now headless Ursa. “Are you a student at… Beacon? I’m supposed to meet with someone called Ozpin. There’s matters I need to discuss with them.” Yang replied, “Um... Okay… I mean, I don’t know you.” The stranger held their hand out for a handshake. “Well, let’s fix that, name’s Mayu.” Yang took his hand. “Yang Xiao Long.” Something about his name did seem slightly unusual to her, but she thought nothing of it._

_The two of them made their way through the Emerald Forest, making small talk along the way. “You’re packing some serious power, Yang.” Yang chuckled, replying, “You too, Mayu. I mean, that poor Boarbatusk, you pretty much kicked those tusks right off. What Academy did you go to?” Mayu seemed a bit caught off guard by the question. “I uh… I was home-schooled, you could say.”_

_Mayu turned away from her. While you would be forgiven for thinking he looked out of place in Remnant, he almost certainly didn't give the impression he was royalty at first glance. "Really? That's what you're hung up on? Not the whole, I'm an alien from another world, and by the way, your world's not the only one out there?"_

_“Well excuse me, your majesty…” Qrow said sarcastically, opening up a bottle of his personal favorite whiskey. Mayu replied, “I know you meant that sarcastically, but I still wouldn’t have expected you to refer to me so formally.” Ozpin placed his mug on his desk. What Mayu didn’t know, was that Yang had secretly followed him, and was eavesdropping on the conversation. “Still, I’m grateful you came all the way to this world to deliver your warning. It’s a shame honestly, we rarely get a visitor from another world, let alone someone of your status.”_

_Yang had listened to them until Mayu walked out. “How much did you hear?” Yang replied casually, “Well, that you’re a prince, and a freaking alien. So what now, your majesty?” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Gonna stay for the tournament?” Mayu sighed, “I was actually planning on leaving when I was finished with business, but… Sure, sounds fun.”_

  
Yang shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Eh, that's not too hard to believe in hindsight. I mean, you really don't look like you're from around here." Yang summed up her first impression of him rather bluntly to him. "I honestly thought you were a girl when I saw you from behind." Mayu's cheeks turned a shade redder, but he maintained his composure. "Well, clearly, your species is different from mine." Mayu eyed Yang closely. He knew at that moment, he could count on her if something went wrong.

  
Soon enough, the next match of the tournament, Yang and Weiss against Neon and Flynt, was underway. Weiss attempted to block Flynt's attack with a Glyph. While Neon Katt skated around Yang, chanting “Never Miss a Beat.” To everyone's shock, Weiss’s glyph started to spaz out, cycling between many elements. It vanished as Weiss clutched at her chest, gasping for air, even though she wanted to scream in pain.

 

 

Her aura started to randomly spike up and down as she fell on her back. "Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that, something is wrong with combatant Weiss Schnee…” The arena quickly converted from the Ice biome to the standard arena. Jaune exclaimed from the stands, “the match just started a minute ago! Weiss can’t be tired already!” Ren remarked, “No… This isn’t exhaustion setting in, it’s something else.”

 

 

Immediately, Neon stopped her chant. "Oh my gosh!" Yang held the convulsing heiress down, a hand on her chest. "Uh, her heartbeat doesn't seem normal!" Neon skated over with some Lightning Dust, switching out the Ice Dust in her nunchucks.  She held the two ends of her nunchucks apart, to use as makeshift defibrillators as Yang took her hand off, focusing on keeping Weiss still. Neon held both ends of her nunchucks to Weiss's chest, letting loose a shock when her aura was low so it could get through. "Try again!" Yang shouted as Neon nodded, going for another one. Yang put her hand to Weiss's chest as Neon lifted her nunchucks. To Yang's relief, Weiss's pulse was starting to normalize. Medical staff rushed into the arena, taking Weiss away on a stretcher.  
  
Ironwood stepped up into the announcer's box. "well, this is... Undoubtedly a tragic turn of events. But without a teammate Miss Xiao long cannot proceed with the fight..." Yang sighed dejectedly. "However... Neon Katt, Yang Xiao Long... Despite you being on opposing teams, the two of you worked together to save miss Schnee's life, an action that exemplifies what the Vytal Tournament stands for: unity between our kingdoms."  Yang and Neon turned towards each, other, taking fighting stances. "Shall we continue anyways?" Neon Katt nodded. Ironwood seemed to get the message. "The match will continue between Neon Katt and Yang Xiao Long!"  
  
In the off time before the next matches, Yang looked up at the announcer's box. She count faintly see Mayu telling Ironwood something. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have an important announcement." He paused before exclaiming. "The team of Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black are disqualified!" Cinder shouted from where she was in the red seats. "WHAT?!" Ironwood continued, "For entering using false documents, as well as being associated with the White Fang, and a whole host of other unsavory deeds!"  
  
Cinder charged into the announcer box, Mayu turning off the microphone and grabbing her by the arm. "Oh, I was just asking him for me to take your place. People gotta see some fights after all. If you want someone to blame... Blame Maleficent. She's the one who sold you out." Cinder's eyes widened. "Maleficent?"

 

Ironwood replied in kind. “I believe it was Blake Belladonna who blew the lid on her whole operation. Given how serious her allegations were, it warranted investigation. Sure enough, something turned up.

 

Mayu smiled. "All just to get you so riled up, you'd become a Heartless. Gotta hand it to the old hag, she's more clever than I gave her credit for." He said with a smirk. Cinder backed away, asking, "Heartless?" Mayu shrugged his shoulders, keeping his smirk. "Yep. You'd be a mindless beast following Maleficent's every order."

 

He let go of Cinder's arm, letting the words sink in. "I won't bother telling you what's going on here, but it's bigger than a small-fry like you. Ironwood, why don't you get her and her cronies out of here so we can get back to focusing on the big fish?" Within moments, Cinder felt multiple heavy impacts in succession to her abdomen, winding her. Just as soon as she was about to get up to attack, someone merely said, “Sleepga.” Almost immediately, Cinder heard the sound of sheep in her head, and fell forward, falling asleep soon after. Mayu smiled. “Azura, thank you, she could’ve caused a scene.”

 

Azura was one of Mayu’s assistants, and was also one of his caretakers since he was young. The first things that stood out were her appearance, slightly tanned, with long, luscious black hair.  “Azura. Royal Sorceress, Prince Mayu’s caretaker and tutor.” She inspected her blue dress, noticing the stain. “Out of all the dresses I pick for today sir, it had to be the one you and your brother wore and got strawberry frosting all over while you were wearing it.” Mayu lightly stomped his foot, exclaiming, “Not in front of the General!” Azura put a hand to her mouth, laughing. “Why not? It was adorable!” Ironwood cleared his throat, getting their attention. “Anyways…You do have a point, the people would feel a bit cheated if Yang Xiao Long just got to automatically advance. Consider your request granted. Here’s hoping you put on a good show.”

 

 

  
Just a few minutes later, Ruby patted Yang on the back as the latter slurped some noodles at one of the stands. "That was amazing Yang!" She exclaimed. "You not only advanced in the tournament, you even saved Weiss! And with that team that was just disqualified, that means you only have to fight Penny or Pyrrha and you're the champion!"

 

Yang smiled, only for Mayu to sit to Ruby's left. "Not quite. I’m afraid it won’t be that easy. The people would feel awfully cheated if you defaulted your way to the title bout. Looks like you and I will be facing each other next round, Yang." Yang remarked as she put down the chopsticks and finished swallowing. "Oh, Ruby, I didn't introduce you yet. This is Mayu, he's a new friend of mine." Mayu remarked, "And I take it you're Yang's little sister? She's told me about you. From what I've heard, you got into, Beacon was it, two years early." Ruby said cheerfully, "Yeah, that's me. So, where are you from? Atlas? Shade?" Mayu turned towards her. "Me? Never went to any sort of school, I was privately taught." He got up, looking towards Yang. "Anyways, I look forward to fighting you, Yang. Oh, and… Before I forget, Weiss was her name? She’s stabilized, you can go visit her in the infirmary here." He said before walking away.

 

Weiss took a sip of water, swallowing the pills given to her, medication to help with her condition. She looked over at the desk to the side of the bed. There was a card. “Get Well Soon.” She picked it up, looking at the signatures. Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Yang Xiao Long, Neon Katt (who wrote “let’s have the match again when you get better.”), Blake Belladonna (whose signature was rather sloppy, almost as if rushed) and Pyrrha Nikos. But the biggest signature on the card was signed **Ruby Rose**. Weiss, observing this, merely said, “Of course…”

 

 


	2. End of Another Beginning

Amber stirred awake as the door to the room she was being held in opened. Immediately, she sensed a dark presence. "W-who are..." She found a photo plastered to the glass in front of her. "Huh? Who is that?" She didn't quite know who it was, but... They looked like someone trustworthy. “Pyrrha Nikos?” The name on the picture read.

  
The capsule door opened up, and she fell out. "Just as I thought... You're no use to me in your state."  
  
  


  
It took mere seconds for Amber to sense the darkness in this stranger. It was immense, like staring into a bottomless abyss. "W-what are you?"  
  
"Fascinating..." She heard another voice say, as another person appeared in a column of green flames. The helmeted stranger turned towards the newcomer. "Do whatever you want with her, Maleficent, she's useless to me." The helmeted stranger was cloaked in a dome of darkness. Mere seconds later, it vanished, leaving no trace that he was there. "The boy's right. In your current state, you're not of much use." A green flame cloaked her and her staff. "But I believe I could still find some use for you.”  
  
It was the dead of night, Cinder had managed to escape the Atlas authorities, having broken out of the Sleep spell. But now she found herself deep in the forest. "Well, I don't have to worry about Grimm." She said to herself, appreciating that luxury. But she heard something rustle in the treetops. "What was that? Is... Is someone following me?"  
  
As she continued on through the dark forest, the rustling became more frequent.  "is someone there?" She asked somewhat nervously. Now she was freaking out a bit. "Whoever you are, show yourself!" She said angrily. There wasn't a sound in reply. "A-am I going insane? I can't have been here that long..."  There was one last rustle, and the next thing she felt was something impaling her through the back. She felt something slipping out of her... The Fall Maiden powers. She felt the object being yanked out of her, before having her head bashed in from behind and losing consciousness.  
  
The next morning, the tournament Semi-Final matches were to start. The unexpected disqualification of an entire team meant things had to be rearranged quite a bit, and part of the delay (though he didn't let the public know) was caused by Cinder's escape. "Before my match..." Mayu said as he walked into Ironwood's office. "Special Delivery for a Mr. James Ironwood." He tossed the unconscious Cinder right at Ironwood's feet, before walking out. 

  
Weiss sat in the infirmary, the nurses kindly supplying a Scroll for her to watch Yang's match on. "Mayu?" She said aloud, wondering who he was. From what she'd heard, he was a new friend of Yang's. She was broken out of her thought process by a familiar "Salutations!" She almost jumped in her bed, but she did toss her scroll into the air. Penny leaped up to catch it, landed at Weiss's bedside, and handed it to her. "Penny! After what happened yesterday, the last thing I need is you coming out of nowhere and startling me!" Penny stepped back, looking a bit sad. "N-no, it's just, you remember what happened yesterday, right? I don't need another- never mind, your match isn't for a while, you can sit down if you want."  
  
  
"I've never heard of Yang's opponent... I wasn't aware private tutors were even an option, but that's where Yang said he got his training from. Except you HAVE to be from a school to be in the tournament, right?" Penny exclaimed, "Wait, the match is starting!"  
  
  
"Whoever wins, no hard feelings." Mayu said with a smile as he stood facing Yang in the center of the arena. Yang smiled back, "Good, because I intend to win." As the signal to start the match sounded, Mayu immediately opened up with a spinning kick, which Yang blocked, before he performed another in the other direction, this one hitting her in the side. Yang's aura was already down by 10%. Jaune exclaimed from the stands. "What?! That much in one hit?! Boy, am I glad I'm not fighting him... I'd never stand a chance." Pyrrha sighed. "You're right Jaune. But after seeing him yesterday, I'm starting to think he's not human, or even Faunus for that matter." Jaune remarked, "So... He's some kind of alien?" Pyrrha replied, "Uh.... Maybe?" Jaune eyed Pyrrha for a moment. "He's some kind of alien, isn't he?" Pyrrha bashfully replied, "Y-yeah. He is... Sorry.”

  
"I was expecting a bit more, Yang." He said as Yang knelt down, clutching her side, before her hair gave off a familiar glow, and her lilac eyes became a fierce red color. She smiled again, surprising him with a leaping kick upward and launching him into the air. She followed up with a few shots from Ember Celica, but even after a few direct hits, he managed to land gracefully. "Well... I haven't had a good fight in a while actually." Yang ducked another spin kick, countering with a rising uppercut to the chest, though this time, she felt like she'd hit some kind of invisible sphere, which seemed to explode around him. Yang was sent flying into the barrier that separated the audience from the action. She propelled herself back to the arena by firing Ember Celica behind herself, propelling her towards Mayu. She shot Ember Celica forward, slowing her momentum, and it slowed further when the shots stopped inches away from him and rebounded towards her.  
  
"Both contestants really seem to be giving it their all!" Oobleck exclaimed in the commenters' box as both Yang and Mayu's fists collided with each others faces. They both staggered back a bit, before continuing their assaults, resulting in a spectacular clash of fits. Yang could feel her Semblance building up with each strike. At the same time, both of them went for a spin kick, their legs colliding with almost equal force. "Well, looks like Miss Xiao Long wanted to take a page out of her opponent's book." Port exclaimed. Mayu had a rather surprised expression on his face. Yang was grinning. ("D-did she seriously try to adapt part of his fighting style?" Weiss thought to herself as she watched.)  
  
Yang turned to the aura display. "WHAT?! HOW ARE WE THAT LOW ALREADY?!"  Mayu brushed off his top. "Truth be told, I was going easy on you at first. Though with this fight, I don't regret it in the least." Oobleck announced, "Mayu's aura has been lowered to the minimum. The winner is Yang Xiao Long!" The audience cheered, as Yang looked at her aura on the display... Hers was only higher than Mayu's display by 1%. Both contestants fell on their backs, laughing and smiling.  
  
As the two met up in the lobby, Mayu remarked, "You truly are incredible." Yang pouted, "You said you were going easy on me..." Mayu replied, "Yeah, at first, I was waiting for that Semblance of yours to kick in. Trust me Yang, I wouldn't have done anything differently if I could do it again. I had fun." Yang smiled, "Thanks Mayu... I had fun too. But I'm exhausted... Wonder if those beds in the infirmary are comfy?" Mayu said with a lighthearted chuckle, "I doubt it.” 

  
Meanwhile, in a warehouse in Vale, a projection of Mayu and Yang floated above a circle with an intricate pattern inside. "It's just as I told you. She much rather prefers her new friend over you. Then again, her new friend is someone of very high status. A prince even."  
  
Blake clenched her fist, feeling a whirlwind of emotions raging within her. She felt sad. Angry. Jealous.  Betrayed.  She screamed, a blast of darkness shooting out from her hand at the projection. As she seethed in anger, Maleficent added. "She'd much rather have his royal highness as a companion over someone with your... Unsavory history." Blake snapped, "The White Fang wasn't always the way there are now, it's all because of Adam!" She covered her mouth, realizing her tone came off as aggressive. "I... I'm sorry... It's just-" Maleficent smiled. "Adam Taurus... Ah, yes, him. You have no reason to fear him anymore, child. Remember, you have the powers of darkness on your side." Blake nodded. "Yeah... You're right. He's nothing to me now. Even if he does prove too much for me..." She used her Semblance and leaped back. "I have friends in the shadows..." She said with a grin, observing the pitch-black, yellow eyed duplicate of herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Weiss once again woke up in the infirmary. Given the first people she saw were Winter and Ironwood, she was in high alert. "Weiss Schnee? I-I don't know what to say..." Winter sighed, picking up for Ironwood. "We've gotten some of Atlas's best scientists to do some lab work, and, from what they can tell it's caused by Dust." Weiss crossed her arms and scoffed, "Dust? I thought they were supposed to be the best, and yet that theory is completely asinine. If it was true, pretty much every Beacon Professor would be dead right now!"  
  
Ironwood sat down on one of the chairs. "This is a very special type of dust... And one that doesn't exist naturally." Weiss again scoffed, "I haven't used any weird types of dust, or anything other than our own brand!" Winter shook her head. "That's the thing. It's... It's inside of you. We can't remove it either. From what we can tell? It's produced as a part of your body's normal biological functions, as part of your very cells. Your body, it... It can't handle it much longer. It's basically starting to shut down. Based on estimates..." Winter was starting lose her professional demeanor. "I can't do this." She said quietly, dashing out of the room and leaving Ironwood to deliver the news.  
  
"Weiss, Pyrrha's match is about to start." Ruby came in, with her usual chipper attitude. Which rapidly sunk when she saw Weiss sobbing in the bed. "Go away Ruby. Just forget about me. Don't ever speak to me again…”

  
Ruby knelt by Weiss's bedside, holding her hand. "Weiss… What’s going on? Why would you say that?" Weiss yanked her hand away, screaming, "I SAID GO AWAY, RUBY!" Ruby stepped back about to cry herself. "Weiss... How could say something like that? We're friends!" Weiss yelled, "FIND NEW FRIENDS THEN, INSTEAD OF SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY A FOOT IN THE GRAVE!" Ruby's eyes dilated, her mind trying to process what Weiss just told her. Though Weiss quickly spelled it out for her. "Ruby, I just got the news. I'm going to be dead soon. I have a few months, at best. Start looking for some new friends and someone to replace me on the team. Forget about me..." Ruby didn't say a word, she just ran out of the room, crying.  
  
  
  
Ruby ran all the way to the coliseum lobby, kneeling down next to some decorative shrubbery. "Something wrong?" Came a calm, comforting voice. Ruby turned her head in the voice's direction.  


  
  
  
"It's... my teammate Weiss." She said hesitantly to the oddly dressed stranger. "We, had a fight." Time and time again in battle, Ruby's Aura served as a sort of shield from harm. But it didn't protect her from just one simple question. "Why?" That one question brought the reality of the situation to the forefront of her mind. Ruby's tears intensified, and she with a choked sob, said, "Because she said I need to find new friends... That she'd be dead soon, so I should be looking for someone to replace her."  
  
  
There was a moment of silence. "A friend isn't just someone who can be replaced... Sure, you might make new ones, but..." The stranger pulled an orange, star shaped charm out of his pocket. “If this person is your friend, you shouldn’t even think about replacing them, especially not their place in your heart." Ruby wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I just wish there was something I could do for her." It was at that moment, Ruby had an idea. "Thanks for helping me clear my head a bit, uh..."  
  
  
The stranger stated, "Terra." Ruby exclaimed, "Yeah, Terra! There is something I can do for Weiss!" She ran off, leaving a flurry of rose petals in her wake. "Wait, hold on, where are you going?"  
  
Ruby ran around the lobby until she found who she was looking for. "Mayu!" He turned around. "Oh, miss Rose. What's so urgent you came looking for me?" She grabbed him by the collar of his top and pulled him close. "You gotta find a way to fix Weiss, please! I know no one in Remnant can do it, but you gotta know someone right, you're an alien!" She rapidly shook Mayu, who quickly managed to break out of her grip. "Calm down, miss Rose." He said after taking a few steps back. "I'll look into it, I have someone working for me who's very good in her field. I'm almost certain she'll come up with something." Ruby exclaimed while hugging him, "You're a lifesaver, Mayu!" Mayu said with a small smile, "Don't mention it. But I'll have to have a small talk with Ironwood first..." He said as he walked away.

  
Ruby burst into infirmary. "Weiss, everything's gonna be okay! You know Yang's new friend Mayu, right? He's the pretty boy alien?" Weiss said sullenly, "Ruby, don't bother trying to cheer me-" Ruby's last sentence suddenly sank in. "Wait, did you say he's an alien?" Ruby nodded. "Yep. You didn't know?" Weiss shook her head. "For some reason, I'm not as surprised I should be..."  
  
Hours passed, neither Weiss or Ruby attended the fight between Pyrrha and Penny, a battle in which Pyrrha was the victor. While both of them watched, neither paid much attention to the fight, Ruby lying next to Weiss on the bed. "Am I interrupting something?" Mayu said slyly, holding a bottle of pills.  
  
"She just finished making these. These oughta at least keep your condition in check. Though I confess, she had more difficulty working with the samples than anticipated, hence why it isn't exactly a cure." He tossed the bottle over to Weiss. "One a day, right when you wake up. Should be enough for a month. If her theory's correct, this should allow your body to accommodate your... Condition better once you've gone through it.”

  
With Weiss taken care of, Mayu breathed a sigh of relief as he prepared to walk out of the infirmary. But Weiss wasn't about to let him go. "Hang on a minute! You seem to be in really good graces with Ironwood. How? And why? In fact... Why are you even here?" Mayu turned around, a hand on his chest. "Well, you could say I'm... Someone of very high status." Ruby turned towards Weiss. "He's a prince." She clarified.  
  
Mayu nodded. "Well, yes. See, Ironwood has been a very gracious man. He certainly knows how to treat his guests." He noticed the expectant look on Weiss's face. "As for why I'm here... Your world has more visitors, and not all of them are nice ones. One of them, Vanitas, is the reason I'm here. I suspect he may be after something in this world, though I'm not quite sure what it is..."  
  
Jaune burst into the room, a breaking news bulletin going off on his scroll. Lisa Lavender, the reporter on the scene, sounded frantic, panicked. "This just in! Strange creatures have begun attacking a White Fang rally in Vale. We wish this was where it stopped, but they don't seem to discriminate in the slightest! White Fang members, officers, bystanders, nothing seems to be safe from these monsters!" She said, remaining as calm as possible, but her expression betrayed the terror she was truly feeling at the moment.

  
The monsters on the screen were nothing like what they'd seen before. The White Fang was shown unloading full rounds of gunfire at a dark spot on the ground. A creature rose up from the pitch-black spot, followed by many others rising out of more black spots that appeared.  
  
  
  
"This is Lisa Lavender, on the scene saying, I'M GETTING THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Before she could even begin to run, the camera panned down to show one of the creatures swiping at her ankles, causing her to fall and drop the camera. The camera fell a good ways away from her, showing the fear and panic on her face as one of the creatures leaped at her. The video feed of the scene cut off at the sound of Lisa's screaming, leaving Jaune to wordlessly turn off his scroll.

 

Meanwhile, in the midst of the chaos, Qrow was fighting his hardest, cutting through the abominations with his scythe. Then he noticed Glynda was struggling with someone. Their strikes were fast and relentless. Not even in an angry Yang way, they clearly knew what they were doing. Glynda leaped back, attempting to gain some distance. Her opponent, which Qrow realized fit Ozpin’s description of the one Mayu came to their world to warn them about, Vanitas, leaped back, planting his feet on the side of a building, before rocketing towards Glynda trailed by pink light.

 

Glynda desperately, telekinetically tossed a fallen street lamp at him with her Semblance, as if it were javelin, straight ahead. Vanitas smirked under his helmet, and still trailed in the pink light, started to slide on the post with even greater speed, closing the distance once more. “See ya.” He exclaimed, the tip of his weapon, his Keyblade named Void Gear, covered in a small purple dome as he swung it down at Glynda, sending her plummeting to the ground at high speeds, landing right on her back. She felt as if she was being crushed by an immense force as Vantias landed. Then, he started to walk over to her. Glynda tried to get up, but she couldn’t muster the strength to do so. Her glasses had long since fallen off. “W-what are you?” Vanitas raised his Keyblade for a final strike, “Why waste my time telling you?”

 

Qrow ran in, his scythe swing blocked by the mysterious weapon. “So… That’s a Keyblade…” He said. “Just like that kid and Ozpin said.” Vanitas and Qrow both leaped back, Vanitas doing a backflip. Qrow observed his opponent’s stance.

 

 

 

Before he could make any real notes on the stance, he saw Vanitas lunging towards him. Qrow circled around him, only for Vanitas to turn around and jump while swinging upward, then performing a rapid series of spinning slashes, which Qrow barely had to time to block. As Qrow blocked the assault, he was surprised when Vanitas suddenly stopped spinning, kicking himself off of Qrow with a flip kick. Midflight, he pointed the Keyblade at Qrow, shooting chunks of ice at the expert huntsman. Qrow ran to where he expected Vanitas to land, slashing through the ice on the way.

 

 

As Vanitas landed, Qrow took the chance to take the offensive, and seemed to be landing hits, then his next hit seemed to go right through him. “W-what?” Qrow exclaimed. “Over here!” Came Vanitas’s voice from the side. Qrow jumped over Vanitas’s sudden lunge from the side. “What the hell?” Vanitas raised his Keyblade overhead, shouting, “THUNDER!”  Qrow noticed there was a car floating near him. Not questioning it, he propelled himself off of it, dodging the incoming bolt of lightning. Then the car changed directions, heading straight for Vanitas. Not even flinching, he swung Void Gear, slicing right through it.

 

Qrow rapidly went for Vanitas’s legs, though Vanitas leaped over Qrow, swinging and shooting multiple bolts of lightning in a fan pattern. Qrow felt a dark power practically eat away at his aura for a bit, but he was still able to fight. Qrow changed his scythe into its sword form. “Okay, freak… Let’s go.” Both Vanitas and Qrow rapidly clashed blades, the sounds of their blades colliding audible even over the cacophony of everything else going on in the streets. The two locked blades, creating a small shockwave. “Not bad… Here I thought you were just a drunken fool…” Qrow remarked, “You’ll find I’m full of surprises…” Vanitas leaped backwards once more. Just as he was about to go in for another strike, he got out of his fighting stance, and a person sized dome of darkness covered him before vanishing. To Qrow’s surprise, Vanitas was no longer there. “What was that kid?” He asked aloud, on the brink of exhaustion. His attention turned towards Glynda, who coughed up a bit of blood. She remarked, “By the way, you’re welcome. If I didn’t use my semblance to bring that car up to you, you would’ve been fried.” Qrow smiled, “Well, I suppose you can’t be hurt too badly…” Qrow replied, sitting down. He saw pillars of light coming from nearby, and he noted there were now far fewer of those monsters then there were before.

 

It wasn’t long until it was safe enough for medical personnel to pick up both Glynda and Qrow. All Qrow needed was a bit of rest, but Glynda was critically injured.

 

“I’m afraid she will require surgery.” Ironwood said to Ozpin. “And we still have no leads on what happened to Amber or where she is… I understand we have a possible culprit in custody?” Ozpin replied, “Yes.” Ironwood folded his hands on his desk. “Good. See what information you can get out of her. Even if she isn’t behind Amber’s disappearance, she might know who is.” Ozpin sipped whatever was in his mug at the moment. “Has Qrow recovered yet?” Qrow walked in, shaking his empty flask. “Yeah, I’m here.” Ozpin smiled. “Good. See what you can get out of Cinder. In the meantime, I have to get in touch with an… old acquaintance.”

 

* * *

 

 

"Ah, Terra... Last I checked, you were... I don't even know... The mere fact that you're here, I'd call an act of divine intervention." Mayu said, approaching Terra within the halls of the coliseum. Terra turned around. "Why me, though?" Mayu sighed. "You were actually the easiest to, retrieve, shall we say. At least according to my little brother. Even then, he had to call in favors..." 

 

Terra's reply was swift and sure. "Couldn't have been too hard for him to do that... Especially when said divine intervention was act by part of your family." Mayu stared at Terra wide-eyed, before sighing again. "I'd rather that tidbit be kept a secret. i find that if people know that right away, well, they tend to get... Intimidated, shall we say, by my status." Terra looked down at the floor, thinkng. Something seemed off about Mayu to him...


	4. Heroes and Heartless

"This is very important... Why did you attack Amber?"  Ozpin asked Cinder, who was lying on a stretcher in Ironwood's office. So far, Qrow had no luck getting anything out of her. "Stop playing dumb, Cinder!" Qrow said as he got his scythe out. Ozpin knocked the scythe out of Qrow's hands with his cane. "This is getting us nowhere! Besides... There are more pressing matters at the moment. I can confirm Pyrrha did receive a portion of the fall Maiden's power. The question is... How? And why Amber's disappearance?" Someone walked into the office. "Sorry I'm late... But I may have a theory." Ozpin smiled. "Ah. Mickey, my old friend. Just in time, actually. What's your theory?"  
  
  
  


  
  
  
Unbeknownst to them, Pyrrha was listening in on them. She gasped as they went on, eventually walking into the room. "y-you heard..." Pyrrha nodded. "Well, yes, but... I don't quite get it... What is going on here? First that boy with the helmet shows up, then-" Mickey's usual smile turned sour, and he clenched his fist. "No... It can't be... I thought..."  
  
  
  


  


"Aqua and I... We stopped him... He's back? No... Then... Things just got a whole lot worse." Ozpin replied, "So you know this Vanitas fellow... Just as that young man warned Ironwood. But what's he after?" Qrow scowled, remembering his battle with the Keyblade wielder.  
  
"The χ-Blade..." Mickey stated. Mayu spoke up from the corner, "You know, a few people I know pronounce it as Chi-Blade . The other pronunciation just makes people mistake it for Keyblades like you and Terra wield." Pyrrha asked, "But what IS it?" At this point, Mayu shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know exactly... But it's bad news."  
  
Qrow rested his arm on Cinder's head. "so he's looking for this... χ-Blade?" Mickey shook his head. "No." Mayu elaborated, "The χ-Blade right now, doesn't currently exist. He has to make it." Mickey nodded, "And for the χ-Blade to be forged, two hearts of equal strength, a heart of light, and one of darkness, must clash, in order for the χ-Blade to be forged... And the end result is..." Ozpin remarked, "The χ-Blade, and soon afterwards the Keyblade War... The madman. But where does he expect to find a heart basically devoid of darkne-" He slowly turned towards Pyrrha. Her usual demeanor faded as her face paled.  
  
  
  
  
"Y-you mean... He wants to use me? To make this... χ-Blade." Ozpin sipped his cocoa. "You with the powers of the Fall Maiden, I'm guessing." Qrow opened up another bottle of brandy, "That's nice and all, but where does that witch come in? She working with him? Last I heard, you were saying the witch was responsible for Amber’s dissapearance." Mickey was about to dismiss Qrow's drunken claim, but he shook his head. "Vanitas showing up... Then the Heartless and Maleficent. He may be using Maleficent and the Heartless as a distraction. To keep pressure off of him." Mayu shrugged his shoulders. "I doubt it. I just think Maleficent was looking for a new lapdog. Blake Belladonna seems to have taken that role very keenly."  
  
"THAT'S A LIE!" Came a shout from outside. Mayy sighed, "So many eavesdroppers. Does no one in this world have any manners?" Ruby exclaimed, "Blake wouldn't work with the bad guys, she just wouldn't!" Mayu said firmly, "Well, your opinion on the matter hardly changes the reality of the situation. It really doesn't surprise me, honestly." Sensing the building tension between the two, Ozpin intervened, changing the subject. "Ruby, Weiss, this is an acquaintance of mine, Mickey. King of Disney Castle." Mayu dismissively waved his hand, walking towards the door. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have some other business to attend to... I had Yang do a little scouting out... We know where at least one of our enemies is working from. So we'll strike later tonight, when they least expect it..." Ruby was about to say something, but Mayu interrupted her. "look, I'm sorry about your friend, but she's far gone."  
  
  
  
  
  
Later that night, Yang parked her motorcycle, Bumblebee at the Vale Docks. "Blake..." She remembered these docks quite well... It was where they found Blake after she revealed she was a former member of the White Fang and ran away from the team.  
  
  
  
  
Further down the docks, she saw signs of fighting. Ruby and Weiss were both behind her. "Come on, let's check it out."  
  
  
Adam swung at one of Blake's Shadow Clones, only to have his ankles swiped at by another one that was rising out of the ground. Adam was not one to usually lose his cool. "Blake, my darling-" Blake shouted, charging at Adam. As he swung, at the very last second, she vanished, leaving behind yet another Shadow Blake, which kicked his sword out of his hand. "What?!" The real Blake caught it mid flight, tossing it into the waters of the harbor, leaving him with no way to use her Semblance. "Well, now you're  powerless." She smiled. "Now  you're  the one who's helpless and scared..." The Shadow Blakes all tackled Adam to the nearest bunch of containers, filled with raw Dust.

  
Sun was watching the whole thing. "Blake... What have you become?" He watched as Blake's hands became shrouded in darkness, and she swiped at Adam. More of the monsters from Lisa's news report appeared behind her as she stated, "Now? I fear nothing. Now, I’m  done  running.” 

Seeing Blake now controlling the monsters that had caused so much havoc in just a single day was all he needed. He took aim with his trusty gun staff, and fired at the container. Blake turned in Sun's direction, glancing at him, before a massive chain reaction blew up both the container he fired at, and all the containers nearby. Sun braced himself, taking cover on the roof, closing his eyes and covering his ears in the brief delay before the explosions occurred.   
  
  
He got up, jumped off the roof, and took a look at the damage. All that was left was just a twisted heap of scrap. As he got closer to inspect the area, he saw there was no sign of Adam or the monsters, but he had to look away as he saw that underneath the twisted heap, all he could see was Blake's arm poking out of the wreckage. "Blake... I'm so sorry..." He said quietly.  
  
The remnants of Team RWBY arrived on the scene, seeing Sun huddled over, crying. "I should've been there... I shouldn't have left her side..." He kept saying. "It's nobody's fault Sun..." Yang said, kneeling down next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. Weiss shook her head. "So Mayu was right after all..." Yang exclaimed,  "I know Blake well enough that she'd never do something like this on her own! That witch was manipulating her somehow, I just know it!"  
  
Sun turned towards the wreckage again. Then he saw something... Blake's hand twitching, before it started to move. "Blake?" Her arm retreated back into the wreck, before a black streak shot out from the top of it, then careening back down to the ground. It was Blake. Her eyes were glowing, and shadowy tendrils of smoke were rising up from her. She hunched over, her stance looking almost feral.  
  
Sun got up to his feet. He very slowly approached Blake, a hand out. "B-Blake?" She didn't seem to respond. "It's me... Sun. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss are here too... Are you okay?" He said as he got closer. Weiss got out her scroll, and she turned almost as pale as her hair. "G-guys... My scroll is saying that Blake has no Aura... SUN, GET AWAY FROM HER!" It was too late. As soon as Sun was within range, she let out an inhuman hiss and swiped at him with her hand covered in darkness, leaving claw marks on his abs. He leaped back in surprise before she swiped again, leaving purple trails in the wake of her fingers.  
  
Sun barely had time to let it sink in when Blake leaped towards him, arm outstretched.  Yang punched at Blake's hand, blocking her strike. "Blake, what's gotten into you?!" Blake didn't respond, moving her hand back and going for another swipe. Yang jumped over Blake, firing Ember Celica at her lower back in the process. She hissed angrily, reaching for her back, darkness leaking from her injury. And nothing else. It was at this moment, the horrifying reality set in. This was no longer Blake.

"Blake... I'm sorry..." She whispered sadly. "STRAWBERRY SUNRISE!" Ruby shouted, the codename for her and Yang to perform a team attack. Yang punched her former partner towards Ruby. Ruby struck Blake with Crescent Rose, knocking her back towards Yang. Yang replied, "Wait, I thought it was called Enab-" She reacted just in time, hitting Blake into the air with an uppercut. Ruby zipped into the air, leaving behind a flurry of rose petals. "I'm sorry Blake!" She shouted as she swung Crescent Rose downwards. Blake blocked the blade with her hands, but was still sent plummeting downwards.  
  
Ruby landed in front of Blake, who got up, snarling. Ruby looked into the yellow eyes of her former teammate... There was no trace of her former self anymore. Blake suddenly pounced on Ruby, delivering a rapid pummeling.  
  
It was at this point, Weiss noticed Blake's beloved weapon, Gambol Shroud lying nearby. She must've set it down earlier. She picked it up. "Blake, don't you remember?! We fought Roman here! We learned you used to be a member of the White Fang! We forgave you! I forgave you! Please, wherever you are, come back to us!"

 Blake seemed to pause for a moment. Yang, who was just about to leap towards Blake, stood up. "Huh? She stopped..." That small flicker, that small light of hope, was soon to be swallowed by darkness. Blake broke into a run, low to the ground like a predator, and struck at Weiss, causing her to drop Gambol Shroud. She pinned Weiss to another container, beginning to pummel her. She stopped pummeling, her hand now covered in darkness. She lunged her hand at Weiss's chest, before stopping. Sun was standing on her shoulders, and Weiss saw the blade of Gambol Shroud poking out of her chest. Sun leaped off and pulled the blade out with a backflip. Using that opening, Weiss quickly reached for Myrtenaster, firing a chamber's worth of Ice Dust as she thrust it into Blake's torso.   
  
Blake practically howled in agony, darkness bursting out of her wounds, the rest of her freezing solid. Yang charged towards the frozen Faunus, tears starting flow from her eyes. "Blake...." She whispered as she punched Blake's frozen over chest, firing off Ember Celica at the same time. A light was faintly visible around Yang’s fist. The ice around Blake shattered, darkness erupting from the gaping hole in her chest. In fact, her very being seemed to be comprised of darkness at this point, and the darkness pushed Yang away. Blake started flailing around, even as she began to fade. From the open wound, a ball of pinkish-red light came out.  
  
Yang began sobbing, shouting Blake's name as she fell to the ground. She attempted to run towards her, but was held back by Mayu arriving and grabbing her from behind. "She's gone, Yang!" He struggled as Yang flailed around in his grip. Yang screamed, "NO SHE'S NOT, SHE'S GONNA BE RIGHT THERE, BACK TO NORMAL!" Sun came over to assist Mayu, and everyone watched as Blake began to fall back, black smoke rising up from her as she faded away. Yang broke free of Mayu and Sun's grip by getting her right arm free and elbowing Mayu in the stomach, then turning and kneeing Sun in the crotch. She ran frantically to where Blake was standing. But all that was left of her was her cherished ribbon. She knelt down, holding it in her hands and continued sobbing. “BLAAAAAAAAAAKE!” She shouted towards the sky.


	5. Destiny is Never Left to Chance.

2 days later, Ruby was in Team RWBY's room at Beacon, she held Blake's ribbon in her hand, looking at it sadly. "Blake..." In her other hand, she was holding her scroll.  
  
  
"Reports indicate an explosion of a shipment from the Schnee Dust Company occurred at the Vale docks last night, caused by notable White Fang leader Adam Taurus. His remains were recovered from the waters of the harbor this morning, the coroners confirming he was killed in the blast." Ruby looked at the screen. It was Lisa Lavender. "In other news, the Vytal tournament's final match was decided yesterday after many delays, with the winner being Yang Xiao Long in a shocking upset. We go live now to an exclusive interview with Pyrrha Nikos." She said, a bit more dully than usual, Ruby noted.  
  
  
"A lot of my fans have been addressing the fact both me and my opponent were... A bit sloppy. And for that, I'm sorry. I've just... Been going through a bit of stress lately." She said, being as vague as possible. "As for my opponent, her team is recovering from a very personal tragedy. I don't think either of us wanted to cancel the match, it wouldn't be fair to you. I'd say my opponent is more worthy of the trophy than I am. She's going through a very hard time, and my heart goes out to her and her teammates." She said, maintaining a formal tone.  
  
Yang sat on the couch in her home in Patch, turning off the TV. The Vytal Tournament trophy was sitting up on the coffee table, for everyone to see. "Champion, eh? Sure don't feel like one right now." She said sadly. "Blake... Whoever did this won't get away with it..."  
  
"I'm going out to get stuff, need anything, champ?" Yang shook her head. "I'm good." She watched as her dad walked out of the door. As soon as he was out the door, she slumped over the side of the couch. Then she heard Zwei growling and barking. "Zwei, stop it, I'm not in the mood." She groaned as she buried her face into the pillow. "You're not seriously still upset about the Faunus girl, are you?" Yang immediately got up, ready to fight. Whoever that voice was, it wasn't friendly. And as soon as she got a look at who it was, she said, "Wait a minute... Are you Vanitas?" Vanitas grabbed something out of the drawer. Her Scroll. "H-Hey! Who said you could take that?" Yang punched at him, but he held his hand out. Yang's fist seemed to hit an invisible wall, and she was flung upwards through the roof. "Now that that's taken care of..." Yang landed back down with a thud, quickly pushing herself up. "If you ask me, your little team is better off without her..." Yang went for another punch, but was met with the same result. Once she landed, he continued. "I was the one who pointed that witch towards her. I have to admit, she did a good job. I was actually surprised."  
  
By the time Yang got up, Vanitas had already made his exit through a Corridor of Darkness. "THAT MONSTER!" She screamed as she punched the floor, eyes blazing red and her hair glowing.  
  
As Pyrrha opened up her locker, she got a ring on her Scroll. "Why is Yang calling me?" She wondered aloud as she answered. She didn't expect who was on the other line.  
  
  
  
"Vanitas." She said sternly, maintaining composure. "I know what you want. I'm not going to fight you, I refuse. And even if you do decide to attack me, just know that I won't fight back." Vanitas didn't seem concerned in the slightest. "I figured you'd say that... Fine." He said. "Because I have a reason for you to fight right here..."  Strangely enough, he let go of the Scroll, and it stayed in place as he went off screen, tossing a heavily injured Jaune into her view. He came back into view, summoned Void Gear and raised it over Jaune, pointing it downwards. Pyrrha’s heart and determination both sank at that moment. A ball of darkness was forming at the tip of Void Gear. "WAIT, STOP!” She screamed.”PLEASE, DON'T KILL HIM!" The ball of dark flame vanished, as he walked back over to the scroll. "Well, you're not going to save him by playing the pacifist. There's only one way he's getting out of this alive... I'm where they kept the maiden. Don't make me wait too long." With that, the call ended.

  
Ozpin was just going over school documents when Pyrrha burst in. "HE'S GOT JAUNE!" Ozpin motioned for her to sit down. "Who?" Pyrrha shouted, "VANITAS! HE'S-" Ozpin raised his voice slightly, "Calm down, Miss Nikos, this is exactly what he wants! For you not to think straight so you fall into his trap. You go in charging at him, you'll either get yourself killed, or worse, doom us all! You need some sort of plan!" Pyrrha eyed Cinder, who was lying on a cot in the corner. She was starting to get an idea. "Could you get her weapon?" Pyrrha asked. "And wake her up... I think I've got something..."  
  
  
"I'm beginning to think she really doesn't care about you... Then again, who could care about a loser like you?" Vanitas said tauntingly. Jaune replied weakly, "S-she's on her way... I just know it." Vanitas summoned Void Gear, holding it dangerously close to Jaune's throat. "You know, maybe I should... It'd probably motivate her to fight harder at least." Just as Vanitas was about to wind up for a swing, Pyrrha stepped in. "I'm right here, Vanitas..." Vanitas pulled Void Gear away from Jaune, saying, "So, you decided to show up after all."   
  
Pyrrha readied her weapon, Miló. "Let Jaune go. That's all I ask." Vanitas picked Jaune up by the back of his shirt, flinging him across the room. Then he walked towards Pyrrha. Pyrrha thrusted Miló forward, Vanitas backflipping away. When he was upright in the air, he swung Void Gear, sending out 5 bolts of lightning in a fan shape, Pyrrha's aura taking the hit.  
  
She felt something start to awaken within her. "The Fall Maiden's power?" She pondered aloud. Once Vanitas landed, he said, "Well, it's about time." He lunged forward rapidly with a swing, Pyrrha blocking it with her shield. She swung her shield to bash Vanitas, sending him flying upwards into the wall. He managed to land on his feet, and rocketed off the wall, trailed by a pink light. He flew into Pyrrha, starting to rapidly circle around her, though she knocked him away by holding Miló out and spinning. She switched Miló into its sword form, feeling it was better for the situation.  
  
  
As the sounds of blades clashing filled the air, Jaune saw Ruby's Uncle Qrow. "Come on kid, let's get you out of here." He said, picking up Jaune and running for the exit. Vanitas paid them no mind, Void Gear meeting Miló once more. After blades met, Vanitas backflipped away, performing the same Thunder attack as before. Pyrrha, anticipating this, had her shield ready to block it.  
  
Once Vanitas landed, he dismissed Void Gear momentarily, and gave a slow clap. "Not bad... You've actually got some skill." Vanitas said, seeming for once, genuinely impressed. "I think the warm up's done." He opened a corridor of darkness behind him. "But let's take this somewhere else..."  
  
Just as Vanitas was about to grab Pyrrha, and fling her into the darkness, he heard something. He backed away when he saw an arrow sticking out of her chest. "W-what?!" There was Cinder Fall, her bow readied, smiling. Pyrrha turned around, giving a knowing smile, before turning back towards Vanitas.

Jaune, adrenaline in high gear, suddenly sprinted to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha!" He shouted as he caught her in his arms "Don't even try to play hero..." Vanitas said, thrusting Void Gear towards Jaune. But what he didn't expect was Pyrrha to still have enough strength to get up to intercept the attack. She smiled as she fell backwards. Jaune held his arms out to catch her again, but she was cloaked in light. Soon, just as she was about to fall into Jaune's arms, her body dissipated into sparkles of light. "Pyrrha..."  
  
Vanitas mumbled, "That's it... I've let that prince get in the way long enough..." He stepped backwards into the dark corridor, the darkness soon dissipating. Jaune picked up Crocea Mors, staring down Cinder. "YOU! YOU AND VANITAS!" Cinder merely said, "Qrow, right?" Qrow nodded, and soon, Jaune felt his own scroll going off in his pocket. It was a pre-recorded video message. He reluctantly opened it.  
  
  
"Jaune, if you're viewing this, I'm glad you're safe. But listen very carefully. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you what I'm about to tell you, but you have the right to know  the reason for mine, and possibly Cinder's actions." She explained everything about Vanitas's plot. About Vanitas, the χ-Blade, and the role she would've played in its creation.  
  
"The plan was for me to distract Vanitas long enough for Qrow to get you to safety. After that, once you were out of the way, Cinder would sneak in, and kill me, preventing Vanitas from using me to forge the χ-Blade. I'm sorry Jaune, it was the only way. As long as I was alive... I was a danger to us all, and... I supposed I couldn't live with that. If Ozpin allows it, please, show this message to Ren and Nora. I believe they have a right to know the situation. As for Yang... Give her my best. And tell her to not make the same mistake I did. Don't let her use her newfound fame to promote something as unhealthy as Pumpkin Pete's." She said with a smile, but at the same time, she sounded very serious about it.  
  
Later, back in Ozpin's office, Jaune showed Pyrrha's message to Ozpin. "Pyrrha is wrong on one matter, that's not my call, it's Mickey's." Jaune looked down at the King pleadingly. "Well, it wouldn't exactly be right to leave them in the dark." Ozpin nodded, "I do agree with Pyrrha, they deserve to know the truth of this matter."  
  
As Jaune walked out, Ozpin's eyes narrowed, before he smiled. "Miss Nikos... Something tells me you're living on in some way you never expected…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: The title of this chapter is one of the promotional taglines used for Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep.


	6. Yellow Beauty Blazes Divine

 "WOAH!" Yang shouted, feeling her aura on the verge of breaking from the punch. "Still not good enough... You won't be beating Vanitas any time soon." Stated the older woman. Flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, curvaceous, Mayu's aide Akari was a completely different person than you'd expect at first glance. Her fancy red dress was deceptive, in that her movement was basically unhindered, despite it going down to her ankles.

  
"YOU HIT LIKE A FREAKING ATLESIAN PALADIN! AND BELIEVE ME, I'D KNOW!" Yang exclaimed. The older woman taunted. "Miss Xiao Long, how do you expect to assist Prince Mayu with such a pitiful display?" Yang knelt down, feeling overwhelmed. "You need to get stronger. If anything, you're not aggressive enough. You gave me way too much breathing room. If you're going to fight the way you do, you need to fully commit to it." Yang got up, breathing heavily. "Look for any opportunity to begin an assault, and once you do, don't let up. Of course, be wary of potential counter attacks."  
  
Yang dusted herself off, remarking, "I didn't take you for some sort of fighting expert..." Akari replied, "Well of course. I've gotten the nickname of The Volcanic Bombshell, and it isn't because of my looks. Sure, I'm pretty, but I also taught Prince Mayu how to fight."  
  
She picked up another hunk of scrap. They'd been cleaning up the harbor where the remainder of Team RWBY, along with Sun, fought Blake. Yang's mind wandered, before Akari snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Come on, you should easily be able to lift that jumbled mess now." Yang sighed, pushing a dented container out of the way. "As for your Semblance... You really need to learn how to store up that power better, save it for later use." Yang looked back at Akari, "we'll go over that later, Yang. They expect us to be done with the cleanup work soon."  
  
As night fell, Akari said, "Here, Yang, this should make you feel better." She tossed something into the air, Yang couldn't exactly hear what it was. All she knew was that she heard a sound, and she felt her aura immediately return to full, and the aching in her body was suddenly washed away.  
  
Once Akari had left, Yang was just about to make her way to where Bumblebee was parked. She heard something from above, and immediately shot Ember Celica at an angle below her, sending her flying back and out of the way of Vanitas's attempted sneak attack from above. "YOU!" She said angrily. Mayu leapt down from the rooftop, landing next to Yang. "Vanitas... What say you we put an end to your little schemes right now? Yang? This is it. It's honestly a bit sooner than I expected, but we can take him together." Yang nodded.  
  
Remembering Akari's words, Yang immediately went in for the first strike, though Vantias dodged, vanishing into a dark spot on the ground. "Yang looked down at the spot, seeing it was moving towards her. "Huh?" Then it changed direction, heading towards Mayu. He stood firm, even as Vanitas rocketed out of the ground with a spinning strike, causing fireballs to erupt out of the spot in every direction. Mayu swayed to the side, avoiding the ones that were headed towards him. Just as Vanitas was about to land, Mayu counterattacked with a good old fashioned double hand swing to hasten Vanitas's descent. Vanitas quickly got up, vanishing from Mayu's sight as he attempted to kick him. He reappeared behind Yang, striking with a lunging swing. "Gotcha!" Yang went for a right hook, but Vanitas vanished again, performing the same attack as before. Yang tried again, getting the same result. Anticipating Vanitas's counterattack, she fired off Ember Celica behind her, forcing him to cancel his attack and block it.  
  
Mayu used the brief opening to go in, and grab Vanitas by the leg. "What?!" He exclaimed as Mayu started to spin him around. "SO LONG, VANITAS!" Mayu shouted, letting Vanitas go and letting the momentum send him flying, right into a fresh shipment of Dust.  Yang was a bit too slow to take cover, and ended up being caught at the edge of the blast, sending her crashing into a warehouse. She got up, running back to the site of the explosion, her aura significantly depleted. Mayu smirked, rubbing his index finger under his nose. "Good riddance." He said confidently. Yang attempted to shout, but by the time she did, Vanitas descended from above, plunging Void Gear into Mayu's chest. Mayu caught Vanitas's hands at the last moment, holding him back. "Y-You coward!" He spat, before Vanitas backhanded him away.  
  
  
  
  
The entire world seemed to play out in slow motion to Yang, as Mayu fell backwards onto the ground, breathing heavily and coughing. Blood started to drip from his mouth. At that moment, something inside of Yang just snapped.  
  
"Y-YOU BASTARD!" Yang shouted, charging at Vanitas. Vanitas readied his Keyblade for a counterstrike. But something caught him off guard. Yang was moving far faster than he’d anticipated. When she was just a few feet from Vanitas, she leapt towards him.  
  
  
  
  
  
With every last ounce of her strength, she slammed her fist into Vanitas's head, sending him tumbling back into a wall. Yang chased after him, though Vanitas quickly broke free with a frontflip. Once he landed, he felt the front of his helmet, noticing it was cracked. He leaped up onto a rooftop, just out of Yang's reach. "You can pack a punch, I'll give you that." Yang leaped up after him, Vanitas holding Void Gear out in front of his face to block Yang's next punch. "Still... I wouldn't call you a threat. I'll just leave you to have your little temper tantrum..." He said before vanishing into the darkness.

  
  
Yang's hair and eyes returned to normal. She turned her attention to more pressing matters at the moment. "Mayu! No... You can't die! What about your little brother and your kingdom?" Mayu focused his gaze away from Yang, clutching at his chest. He got up, breathing heavily, barely standing.. "Sorry Yang... Looks like I'm gonna be seeing my dad soon..."

 

Unbeknowst to him, Azura was standing in the shadows, with one of her tomes. "No... I'm not losing you too." She mumbled to herself, focusing all of her magical power into her task. " _Let him find renewed life... In a new vessel!"_ A blue circle appeared underneath the two, a pillar of blue light shooting up and completely obscuring them from view.

  
  
Quite jarringly to Yang, moments later she was now outside of her own body (but also still inside? It was like some sort of out-of-body experience.) She looked down at herself. Now transparent, and with her shape, but no physical form. She watched her body clutch its head, its eyes closed. Even more jarring was hearing Mayu's voice come from her lips. He took one look at the spectral Yang, and stared. "Yang?" He said sadly,  also confused at what was happening.  "Mayu..." She said as her spectral form flickered. "Why? WHY?! WE WERE FRIENDS?! I TRUSTED YOU!"

 

Mayu groaned, before looking down. He screamed in a borderline panic, grabbing Yang's, now his, arm. "Hey, don't look at me, I don't have a clue either!" Yang glared at him, desperately wanting to punch him, but knowing it'd be a waste. Mayu turned away, looking down at the ground. "Yang, I know you might not be able to forgive me, but... I'll see if there's anything I can do to help you." Yang's glare lessened in intensity. Mayu smiled awkwardly, "Uh you know, look at some of the positives? THIS, is a body worthy of a god right here! And I should know, my mother's a goddess." Before Yang could even say anything on the matter, Mayu's smile quickly turned to panic.  "I mean, I'm gonna see to it that you're not gonna be stuck like that, trust me!"

  
  
Yang stood there, saying to herself, "Mayu's... A god?" Before Yang could let the despair of her situation truly sink in, she noted Mayu's previous. "Mayu... What did you mean you'd see to it I'm not stuck like this?" Some part of her was partially reassured, knowing Mayu at least held no malice towards her, and from his statement, it sounded like he was at least willing to help her. Mayu realized what he'd just said. "I'm not in any position to ask favors, but... Please keep that a secret! No one else is supposed to know that!" He said, as Azura appeared before him in a flash of blue light, grabbing his hand, and vanishing along with him in a flash of blue light.

  
  
As Mayu walked to his room in his castle, Akari saluted him before walking alongside him. "Sir, we still have the DNA and blood samples that Hanako insisted on taking from her...  With it, she should be able to recreate her body exactly as it was." Akari stated. Mayu breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. That should ease up my conscience on this whole matter... The last thing I want is for... Yang to be gone because of me." Mayu opened the door to his room, taking off Yang's boots before lying down on his bed. Akari bowed, saying, "I'll  tak the liberty of searching through her closet at her home to get measurements. I'll have the finest tailors working on your wardrobe sir, to adjust for the new body. It would be wise for you to stay here for now, until you get acclimated to your new vessel.” Mayu nodded, pulling the covers over himself, still seeming somewhat dejected about the whole ordeal.

 

Meanwhile, sherever she was, Yang closed her eyes. It was really all she could do at this point. "Strange... It's... Kind of peaceful..." She noted, feeling herself drifting off to sleep...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooo boy, I originally had this in Google Docs... There was a bunch of basiclaly trash text at the start of each chapter, which was... Annoying, to say the least. 
> 
> But, yeah, that's it, that's the end of this arc. And just as a heads up, there is going to be a bit of a time skip to the next arc. Around a few months or so? Basically they finished their year at Beacon, and they're currently on break.


End file.
